


Giving You Hope

by skysofrey



Series: Darkness Will Be Rewritten [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Character Death Fix, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), farm family? what farm family, in this house we refuse to let Nat stay dead :)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-13 12:02:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18940525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skysofrey/pseuds/skysofrey
Summary: Clintasha centered Endgame Fix-It where they exchange the soul stone for Nat's life. Emotions and reunions ensue.





	1. "Red Skull, I've Come to Bargain"

**Author's Note:**

> hello all! just a couple notes before you start:  
> -I'm jumping on the bandwagon of "when Steve returns the soul stone he can bring Nat back" don't tell me why that isn't plausible because I can't hear you and now I make the rules  
> -there is more coming to this very soon so stay tuned!  
> -very special thank you to Nat aka redledgerr for allowing me to scream head canons and for reading over the fic and screaming with me into the late hours of the night!  
> -I first came up with this while a little wine drunk and having a clintasha meltdown so don't @ me, if you follow me on Tumblr you saw it  
> Enjoy!

They were standing on the dock, the same place where they had all mourned Natasha in the first place, when Steve and Bruce told Clint about their plan to try and get her back. However, Clint wasn’t feeling the same optimism that they had had when they first came up with it. Clint desperately wanted her back. Every day since the events that took place on Vormir was a struggle. He kept expecting her to be there when they would all gather to help the clean up process. He kept checking his phone out of habit every morning expecting a “you up yet, idiot? :)” text from her but it never came. Sometimes he would see a flash of red in the corner of his eye but when he looked it would only be Wanda. He really wished she would go back to her brown hair sometimes. It’s not like he wanted to forget Nat, he could never do that, he just couldn’t seem to move forward with his life. They told him they were going to try and exchange the soul stone for her life, and Clint had just shaken his head.

“You really think it’s gonna be that easy?” Clint had said. He admired their optimism, truly but he knew he couldn’t get the happy ending he wanted.

“We’re not saying it’s going to be easy, Clint, we’re just saying we need to at least try.” said Steve. Clint started to laugh, though there was nothing funny about their conversation. 

“Try?? You think I didn’t try? That I didn’t try and think, while we were up on that damn cliff, of a way where we could both live? That I didn’t try and jump myself so that  _ she _ could live? That red bastard made it pretty damn clear that you can only get the stone if the person you love dies for it. And she did…” his voice started to break as he remembered the way she fell, a sight he always saw in his dreams every night without fail. “...she made the sacrifice, we got the stone. It was one or the other and she chose the world over herself.” Clint had to turn away from them, he didn’t need them to see him cry for the hundredth time that week. He also just couldn’t look at them and how determined they were. He just couldn’t handle it.

“Look, Clint,” Bruce had started hesitantly, “I know we weren’t there. We didn’t see what you saw or any of that. And maybe trying to do this is a little selfish on our part, but if there’s any chance that this might work we have to know. It might just be another failed attempt, but we have to know.”

“No one’s ever returned the stone before.” Steve pointed out. It was enough to get Clint to look at them again. “You said you have to give a soul to get the stone, what if you can give the  _ stone _ to  _ get  _ a soul?”

“Please,” Clint had said quietly, “don’t give me hope.”

Steve knew why Clint, of all people, wasn’t all up and at ‘em to try the attempt to get Natasha back. To lose someone you love and desperately want them back, yet not want any false hope of actually getting them back again. He was like that with Bucky before they were able to successfully free him from Hydra’s grasp. “We’re not going to make you any promises Clint. We just...we have to know.”

Clint looked down and kicked at a rock, “yeah...yeah I know you do.” He desperately wanted their plan to work, for them to prove him wrong and have Natasha back with them. To hold her in his arms again, to tell her that they won thanks to her, to hear her laugh again, everything, but he had to be realistic. He couldn’t live his life if he didn’t move on. She would want him to move on. He would want her to do the same if it had been him. 

“We’re just finishing up some calibration and then Steve’s gonna return the stones. It’s only going to be about half a minute on our end if you want to-”

“No.” Clint cut Bruce off, knowing what he was offering. “No I’m gonna stay right here. Not be disappointed. Thanks.” He couldn’t go up there and wait and watch just for Steve to come back empty handed like he did when they first made the trip. 

“Well if by any chance this does work, we’ll call you, of course.” Steve grasped Clint’s shoulder, and Clint gave him a small, sad smile and nodded. With that, he and Bruce headed back over to where the time portal was as Clint stayed behind on the dock, looking out at the water residing himself with the fact that he wasn’t going to be getting that call from Steve.

  
  


*********************************************************************************

Steve’s life as Captain America really seemed to come full circle when he saw the Red Skull lurking at the top of the mountain on Vormir. It was a little daunting to see the face of the first villain he had fought so many years ago, but he wasn’t here for a trip down memory lane, he was here to get Natasha back.

The Skull seemed weary of Steve, no one had ever come to Vormir to return the stone before, yet it was still an exchange nonetheless. He cautioned Steve that it was no guarantee that what he wished to happen would happen, as it had never been done before. Worst case scenario is he drops the stone and nothing else happens, he doesn’t get to bring his friend home, and they continue to live life without her. He accepts that the odds aren’t really in his favor, but like he told Clint, he had to try.

He walked towards the edge of the cliff and looked down-holy hell that’s a long way down to the bottom, he could barely even see it. He thought of Natasha and Clint standing up here, fighting to keep the other from jumping. He imagined how awful it all must’ve been but to stand here now, on the spot where it all went down, it felt all the more real to him. To think that she fell all the way down there…

He clenched the stone tightly in his hand, took a deep breath, and dropped it over the edge.

At first, nothing happened. Steve just listened to the wind blow through the empty sky. Then suddenly, a flash of light enveloped him. He closed his eyes as it was practically blinding, and when he opened them again he was no longer on top of the mountain. Instead, he was standing in a shallow pool of water in a vast open area of the planet.  _ Where the hell am I?  _ He’s confused and he looks all around him to see if he can get an idea of just where in relation to the mountain he is but it’s nowhere in sight. As he’s turning around and scanning the area, his eyes fall on something about twenty feet from him. He squints at it, not sure what to make of this dark lump lying on the ground when realization slaps him in the face.

_ Natasha! _

Steve runs towards her and is kneeling at her side in seconds. She’s lying on her back in the water, her eyes are closed and at first, Steve thinks that she’s still gone. He was able to get her back but just not alive. But then he sees it-the slow rise and fall of her chest, she’s breathing, she’s  _ alive!  _ It worked, their plan actually worked! He places his left hand underneath her head-noting that there seems to be no physical traces on her body that she had thrown herself off a high cliff-and his other hand gently shakes her shoulder. “Natasha?? Nat can you hear me? Nat?” She starts to stir a little bit, “Nat wake up, you can do it come on Nat. Stay with me, come on-” Suddenly, Natasha jolts upright with a huge inhale of air and starts gasping for breath. She turns onto her hands and knees coughing and tries to catch her breath. Steve looks at her in amazement and places himself so he’s in front of her. He carefully puts his hand on her shoulder and she jumps at the touch as if she’s just now noticing him for the first time. She looks at him and makes a confused face, she’s still breathing heavily, her green eyes wide as she looks around her surroundings frantically, like she’s looking for something. Steve tries again and gently puts his hands on either of her arms, attempting to bring her back to focus as she continues to search around her.

“Hey hey hey, easy now. It’s okay, you’re okay Nat, just breathe. You’re okay.” 

Finally, she stops and she looks at Steve, breathing a little steadier now. Her voice is small and hoarse when she finally speaks, and the first thing she asks is “Clint??” 

“Clint’s safe, he’s alive.” Steve assures her with a gentle smile, and tears begin to form in her eyes. “Did...did we win?” 

“We won. Thanks to your help, we won.”

Her tears fall down her face now, knowing that what she did was worth it. Clint is alive and they had beaten Thanos. But why was she here? Why was she back? How was she back?

“Why am I back?” 

Steve couldn’t tell if she was angry with him for undoing what she did or if she was confused as to how this was even happening at all. He had to tell her the blatant truth, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t tell her. “We had a theory of what could happen when we returned the stones and we had to test it out. A soul for a soul, the stone for your life back. And it actually worked.” He squeezed her hand, “I hope that’s okay.” She let out a short tearful laugh and squeezed his hand back. “Of course it’s okay, Steve. It’s not like I wanted to die, I’m just glad it was all worth it. The team’s okay, we got everyone back, that’s all I ask for.” His smile faltered a little at her mention of the team. “Steve...what is it?” He took a deep breath in, “We lost Tony.”

Her shoulders dropped in defeat.  _ So they didn’t completely win. _ Her eyes began to water again, “I don’t suppose we can get him back too?” 

Steve shook his head, “Tony’s the one who snapped Thanos and his armies away. His body couldn’t handle the power of the stones. He died a hero, I think he can finally rest now.” This was all so much to process and all Nat could do was just nod sadly in acceptance. Her heart ached and she felt exhausted, mentally and physically. She wanted nothing more than to just go lie down somewhere and rest. 

“So now what?” She asked, looking to Steve for some sense of direction. He smiled, “Whaddya say, you wanna go home? There’s this arrow guy I know who could  _ really  _ use some hope right now.” 

_ Home,  _ she thought, _ Clint, I need to see Clint.  _ “I would love that.” 

__

They stand up and Steve hands her the spare Pym Particle he brought for her to use. “Okay so when you get back only a minute will have passed for the rest of them. Oh and just a heads up, the compound was destroyed in the battle so you’re going to land where we had the equipment set up which is-”

“Wait, wait, wait, when  _ I  _ land? What about you, where are you going to be?”

“I’m not going back, I owe someone a dance.”

Peggy, of course, she should’ve known. Natasha nods in understanding and pulls him into a tight hug. “Don’t step on her toes.” Steve laughs, and kisses her temple, “Tell Barton to cut down on his caffeine intake.”

“Oh, that’s never gonna happen.” she smiles as she pulls away from him. “Thank you, Steve, for everything.”

“What are friends for?”

With a final look, the pair zap back into their respective timelines, both ready to begin their lives again.

 

**********************

“Okay five seconds!” Bruce shouts as he prepares the console for Steve’s-and with any luck Natasha’s-landing from the time stream. Sam and Bucky take a step back as the equipment starts to spark.

 

“Three, two, one!”

 

There’s a bright light and sparks fly as a figure appears on the platform. 

 

“You’ve gotta be shitting me.” Sam states as he stares at the platform in wonder.

 

In front of them stands Natasha, looking exactly like she did when she first left, just a little bit more tired looking. It worked, they’re crazy plan had worked and she was standing in front of them  _ alive. _

 

Before anyone could say anything else, Nat looked at the three men staring up at her and just had one question:

 

“Where’s Clint?”

  
  



	2. Seeing is Believing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's their reunion, that's all you need to know and it's the only reason why you're here. It's why I'm here too. let's cry together!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Marvel personally attacked me with the behind the scenes picture of Scarlett and Jeremy so I coped by writing this chapter  
> -a lot of it was written way too late at night when I was v emotional and exhausted and maybe it shows  
> -I hope it's worth the wait!

_ It’s not going to work. I need to move on, just accept this is life now, it’s not going to work. _

 

Clint had been talking himself down like this since Steve and Bruce had left for their hail mary attempt at getting Natasha back. He had lost count of how many times he had paced the width of the dock while he waited for any sort of conclusion. _ You already have your conclusion, she’s gone. There’s nothing to wait for.  _ Despite all that his rational side of his mind kept telling him, he couldn’t help but replay what Steve had said, how no one had ever returned the soul stone before... _ what if??  _ God, he wanted nothing more than for his phone to ring with Steve saying “I told you so.” He checked his phone for the third time since they had left. Nothing. Almost seven minutes had passed. It was only supposed to take a minute. If anything happened, he would’ve known by now.

 

_ It’s time to move on, Barton.  _

 

He shoved his phone back into his pocket and looked up at the sky. The sun was just beginning to set and the first stars of the night were starting to appear. One in particular shined brightly against the pale sky. He never cared to learn what stars were where, he could be looking at Mars for all he really knew, but that didn’t matter to him in the slightest. He decided then that as a part of his ‘moving on’ process, he would go out every night and find the brightest star he could find and think of her, remember how she saved millions of lives including his own. “Your ledger is clear, Tasha.” he said to the sky, but more importantly, to her, wherever it is she might be.

 

Little did he know she wasn’t as far away as he thought.

  
  


************

 

They said he would be on the dock. Bruce told her how they were planning to call him, had anything happened, but she insisted she go see him herself and be the one to show him that she was alive. It felt like the right thing to do. She made her way over to where she was to find him and felt herself becoming nervous. How should she approach this? In all the missions she’d done in the course of her life, she never once learned how to properly announce you’ve come back from the dead. How would he take it? What should she say? When she finally reaches the platform her heart does a flip at the sight of him. He’s standing with his back towards her on the opposite end of the dock, looking up at the sky and whispering to himself. She can’t quite make out what he’s saying but she does hear her name, as if he’s talking to her, knowing full well the Natasha he’s talking to can no longer answer him. She wonders how much he might have ‘talked’ to her while she’s been gone and her heart breaks into a million pieces. When she had made the decision to let go, she knew he would be upset, but she was also focused on getting everyone back. Seeing him now, in an obvious state of grieving, she wants nothing more than to run to him and tell him that she’s sorry and that it’s all going to be okay now. She  _ could _ , but that might actually give him a heart attack. 

 

While she was running through a list of possibilities of how to get his attention, he seemed to notice that someone was standing there with him, though he still didn’t turn around to face whoever it might be.

 

“No phone call. I take it that the Red Bastard didn’t approve of your plan then?” Clint says solemnly, still looking up at the sky. He thinks he’s talking to Steve, that it didn’t work, and he sounds so defeated. 

 

She decides that maybe there is no proper way of announcing her resurrection. Why would there be? It’s not like this was a common occurrence. Time to just rip the bandaid off.

 

“I don’t think he really had a say in it all…” she said it as an attempt at a joke, but it really didn’t matter what she had said at all- he had heard her voice, and that was enough. His head snapped down away from the sky, his body tensed, and he hesitantly turned his head to look over his shoulder.

 

When he caught sight of her his eyes widened and the rest of his body turned to face her.  His mouth opened slightly and he just stared at her in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.

 

_ “Tasha??”  _ it was barely a whisper. He was frozen, looking her up and down and taking in the sight of her before she faded away as this must be all in his head...and yet she stayed put.

 

A tear trailed its way down her cheek, “Hi Clint.” Her voice faltered on his name as she attempted a step towards him, but he stood still. She knew he must be in shock from all of this.

 

“I-I don’t…” Clint had started, “...is this  _ real? _ ” He thinks he might have been in his head too long and now his mind was playing tricks on him. This is exactly what he wanted, her here with him, it couldn’t be that easy. This is too perfect...unless somehow...the plan actually worked?

 

“It worked,” it’s like she was reading his mind, which made him even more weary, “Steve dropped the soul stone and it worked.”

 

“How?” he couldn’t wrap his head around it, it all seemed too good to be true. She took another step to him, still some feet away from him, but now he noticed her tears. “Steve gave the stone to get me, a soul for a soul, it was still an exchange, it worked...I’m here...Clint, I’m  _ here, it worked. _ ”

 

“It worked.” Clint repeated the words, convincing himself to believe that this was true. The plan worked, she’s here, standing across from him no more than ten feet away. She’s real, she’s  _ alive, it worked! _

 

“Oh,  _ Tasha! _ ” He started running towards her, still afraid she might disappear when he reached her. She ran towards him as fast as she could, desperate to hold him and assure him that everything was going to be okay. When they finally met in the middle, Nat jumped into Clint’s arms and held him tightly, he let out a gasp of relief as he held her, feeling her warm, tangible body against his.  _ She really is here.  _ His arms wrapped around her waist tightly as he spun her around in a hug. He set her down but didn’t dare let go of her. Instead he held even tighter, burying his face into her shoulder and cried, and for once, they were happy tears. Her arms wove tighter around his neck, reassuring him that this was real, she’s here in his arms and she’s not going anywhere else. Her hands came up into his hair, letting herself get lost in his embrace that she had been longing for ever since she woke up on Vormir. Her tears dropped onto his neck but he didn’t seem to care. He was too busy whispering over and over again,  “You’re alive, you’re okay, you’re here, you’re-”

 

“Clint, look at me.” She pulled away from him slightly, bringing her hands around to cup his face. He leaned into her touch as she wiped away a tear from his cheek. Looking up at him closely for the first time now, she could see how tired he was. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and considering how she was feeling she probably had bags under her own eyes to match his. He looked at her with so much love and relief, still trying to process that she was actually here with him. She smiled gently up at him, “I’m here, I’m right here you don’t have to worry anymore. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” He nodded, and took her hands in his, kissing her knuckles, long and gentle. He held them to his chest, “I know,” he looked back into those green eyes he missed so much, “I know it’s just...I spent all this time, trying to think of what it would be like to actually have you back. Convincing myself that nothing would ever work...I wanted you back  _ so bad _ Tasha I just- I didn’t think it would actually happen. I-I thought...” He brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead and held her face in his hands now. “I never thought I would see you again.” Her face crumpled slightly as she began to cry, “I’m right here…I’m right here, Clint, come here....” 

 

Gently, she grabs his shirt and pulls him towards her. The gentle tug was enough of a signal and he was putty in her hands. He leaned toward her, and she kissed him, his lips locking with hers. At first, the kiss is tender and soft, gentle like the hold he had her in. They kiss each other slowly, not so much _ remembering _ what it was like to hold the other close but reveling in the fact that they get to hold each other once more. 

 

After a moment, Clint separates from the kiss, lips hovering. He has to look at her again and remind himself that she is still here, living, and in the flesh. He takes in every inch of her face, watches the sparkle in her bright green eyes, and wipes away the tears that are falling down her cheeks. He can’t take his eyes off of her, and he doesn’t want to. His hold tightens. 

 

“I missed you so much, Tasha.” He whispers, his voice low. He’s elated to have her back, and overwhelmed at her presence all the same, but it’s perhaps the best kind of overstimulation he could hope for. She smiles up at him, and in a second he’s kissing her again, but this time it’s much more passionate. His hands come around her waist, pulling her towards him as close as he possibly can. He kisses her like his life depends on it, not even for a moment breaking to draw air. Natasha needs the kiss as much as he does, and she responds by wrapping her arms tight around his shoulders and kissing him deeper, closer, stronger.

  
  


When they finally break their kiss they press their foreheads together, breathing heavily. She opens her eyes and looks at him and sees that he was already looking at her. “Hi.” he said, smiling that goofy smile of his that she missed so much. She smiled brightly at him, God she loved him so much. “Hey there.” She wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head against his chest. He brought one hand around her shoulders and the other held her head to his chest, running fingers through loose strands of her hair. He kisses the top of her head, “You are never doing anything like  that again.” She hugs him tighter and gives a small laugh into his chest, “What, risking my life? That comes with the job, Barton.” He pulls back a little so she can look up at him, “No, losing it.” She could see from the way he was looking at her that he was being completely serious. He was desperate for her to understand that he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. She knew she was safe with him. No other person in the world loved her as much as Clint loved her, and she was the person who loved him the most. Hell, it’s the reason why she jumped in the first place. “Next time don’t try and jump first.”  she quipped. He cupped her face with his hand, “I was trying to save your life, you idiot.” She smiled at him as he repeated her words back at her, “You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?” He nodded and kissed her on the forehead, holding her tightly to him once more. Time seemed to stop as they held each other, not knowing how long they were there on the dock, and for all they cared it could’ve been years. Nothing else mattered but the two of them, together, in each other’s arms as Nat and Clint should always be. 

 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -the BIGGEST of thank you's to Nat aka @redledgerr for helping me write the descriptions of the kiss part since I'm trash at writing those things. I would be so lost without you and your help so THANK YOU NAT <3
> 
> -update 6/14/2019: I'm taking out that last line that suggested a cliffhanger and I'm ending it here like I had originally intended. I was hoping to write more to this but I figured leaving them happy and together (as they should be) is a solid ending. I haven't been able to come back to this story and I like it as it is so I'd rather not drag it out too much. Look for more fic of these two in the future! I have things planned ya'll :) thanks for reading!


End file.
